Making an Impact

Thursday's main event was, in some ways, the culmination of the week. Every week, Jon organizes a coffee house of sorts called "ALiveHouse & English Cafe". It's an informal evening where students are invited for coffee, live music, and English conversation. In the past, this was held at his home, but this week we held it at Oyumino Alive, the local church, because we anticipated a larger crowd. We spent a few hours on campus meeting students, and then came back to prepare for the evening.



Sarah Pfeil and her sister Molly deserve much of the credit for the transformation of a room in the church into a coffee house. With atmospheric lighting and special coffee mugs that the students could take home as gifts, the stage was set to enjoy music and dessert with friends. Our entertainment consisted of Marc, Aaron, and Jon playing a few English worship songs, followed by Jon's performance of songs that he had written for each of his children and his wife, which was very sweet. After some English conversation, 4 Japanese students from the Chiba guitar club played some beautiful classical guitar pieces. The rest of the evening was laid back and allowed for casual conversation and making friends.



The importance of these events is proven within the personal connections that are made. One woman responded positively to an invitation to attend worship this Sunday, which is a huge milestone. As another example, Marc spoke with a student who wanted to know the difference between a missionary and a pastor. Continuing to hold these gatherings is a strategic way to reach out to an important demographic in Japan. Targeting college students in the most likely way in Japan to build churches and fulfill MTW's 20/20 vision.